Third-Party Tested Pre-Workout Supplements
Buy C4 Sport (Blue Raspberry): NSF Certified for Sport tests each certified lot for banned substances. It costs $0.73 a serving. 7 of the 12 pre-workouts we checked are tested for banned substances. NAKED Energy and Legion Pulse get a quality check only.
By Erin Rose Updated November 3, 2026 How we score
Our recommendation
Buy C4 Sport Pre-Workout (Blue Raspberry)
NSF lists this exact Blue Raspberry tub, so you can match the tub to the list.
Buy on Amazon · $21.92- Want every dose printed? Kaged Sport ($1.25 a serving) is on Informed Sport and prints every dose.
Which pre-workouts are third-party tested? (9)
An outside program checked each of these and lists it by name. Tap a badge to open the program’s list.
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Our pick
C4 Sport Pre-Workout (Blue Raspberry)
135 mg caffeine. Creatine and beta-alanine sit in a blend with no amounts. 30 servings.
$0.73 list price a serving
Buy on Amazon · $21.92 -
C4 Ripped Sport (Fruit Punch)
NSF Certified for SportInformed Choice (all flavors)
135 mg caffeine. CLA, DygloFit and L-carnitine in blends with no amounts. 30 servings. The thermogenic version of C4 Sport.
$0.87 list price a serving
Buy on Amazon · $25.49 -
Doses on the label
Kaged Pre-Kaged Sport (Mango Lime)
188 mg caffeine, 3.5 g citrulline, 1.6 g beta-alanine, 1.25 g betaine. 20 servings. Batches are tested for banned substances.
$1.25 list price a serving
Buy on Amazon · $24.99 -
Podium Fuse (Blue Razz Slushie)
200 mg caffeine with L-citrulline and beta-alanine. 25 servings.
$1.40 list price a serving
Buy on Amazon · $34.99 -
Momentous Pre-Workout (Lemonade)
6 g L-citrulline a serving. 30 servings. Lemonade flavor.
$1.67 list price a serving
Buy on Amazon · $49.99 -
BPN PRE (Blue Raspberry)
200 mg caffeine, 3.2 g beta-alanine, 300 mg alpha-GPC. 25 servings. NSF lists BPN Flight as a separate product.
$1.80 list price a serving
Buy on Amazon · $44.99 -
Thorne Advanced Pre-Workout (Rainbow Sherbet)
About 200 mg caffeine with alpha-GPC and amino acids, in 2 scoops. 20 servings. Rainbow Sherbet flavor.
$2.75 list price a serving
Buy on Amazon · $55.00
A quality check only. It does not screen for banned substances.
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NAKED Energy (Unflavored)
200 mg caffeine, 2 g beta-alanine, 1 g creatine, 1 g arginine. 50 servings. Unflavored tub.
$0.90 list price a serving
Buy on Amazon · $44.99 -
Legion Pulse (Fruit Punch)
350 mg caffeine in 2 scoops, 8 g citrulline malate, 3.6 g beta-alanine. 20 servings. Fruit Punch tub.
$2.50 list price a serving
Buy on Amazon · $44.99
A serving = the label’s serving (one scoop; two for Legion and Thorne). Cost = each brand’s own list price divided by servings in the tub, checked November 3, 2026. Amazon’s price on the button can differ.
Also on NSF Certified for Sport (8)
These pre-workouts are on NSF’s list for the flavors shown. Tap a name to see the listing, then match your tub.
- BPN Flight: Blue Raspberry, Mango, Pink Lemonade, Prickly Pear.
- 1st Phorm Megawatt: Berry Lemonade, Cherry Blast, Melon Berry, Sweet Peach; sold on the brand’s site.
- Podium Athlete Pre-Workout: Blue Raspberry, Sour Watermelon, Strawberry Watermelon.
- True Athlete Pre-Workout: Juicy Mango, Mango, Strawberry Lemonade; sold on the brand’s site.
- Purist Pre-Workout: Peach Mango, Strawberry Lemonade.
- Klean Athlete Klean Pre-Workout: one flavor.
- LTH Pump Pre-Workout: Blueberry Watermelon, Dark Cherry, Grape, Tropical Breeze.
- ATHLEAN-RX X-CITE: ten flavors.
Informed Choice lists Transparent Labs Bulk, Lean and Stim-Free Pre-Workout. NSF list read from its October 1, 2026 snapshot.
Not on a testing list (3)
These 3 are on no NSF or Informed list. C4 Original is not C4 Sport.
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GHOST Legend
Not on a testing list
300 mg caffeine, 6 g citrulline, 3.2 g beta-alanine. 30 servings.
$1.50 list price a serving
Buy on Amazon · $44.99 -
Alani Nu Pre-Workout
Not on a testing list
200 mg caffeine, 6 g citrulline malate, 1.6 g beta-alanine. 30 servings.
$1.33 list price a serving
Buy on Amazon · $28.08 -
C4 Original
Not on a testing list
200 mg caffeine, 1.2 g citrulline, 2 g beta-alanine.
$1.17 list price a serving
Buy on Amazon · $34.99
What does each program check?
| Program | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| NSF Certified for Sport | Checks that the label matches what is in the tub, and tests each certified lot for more than 280 banned substances. NSF lists every flavor on its own. |
| Informed Sport | Tests each batch of a listed product for banned substances before it ships. Listed by product name. |
| Informed Choice | The sister program to Informed Sport. It tests random off-the-shelf samples every month for banned substances. |
| NSF/ANSI 173 | Checks that the label is right and that lead, mercury, arsenic and cadmium stay under set limits. It does not screen for banned substances, so it is not enough for a drug-tested athlete. |
If you get drug tested
Athletes who get tested look for a banned-substance program. Pick NSF Certified for Sport or Informed Sport and match the listing to your tub. NSF lists every flavor on its own, and a new flavor can be missing from the list. NSF/ANSI 173 is a quality check, not a banned-substance check.
How to check your own tub
- Look for the NSF Certified for Sport mark or the Informed Sport or Informed Choice mark on the tub.
- Search NSF’s sport list or Informed Sport’s list for the exact product and flavor.
- Read the Supplement Facts. Skip a label that puts the doses in a blend with no amounts if you want to know what you take.
- Check the caffeine against what you can handle. These range from 135 to 200 mg a serving.
Comparing on more than testing? See the best pre-workout, the best stim-free pre-workout, or C4 vs GHOST.
Questions
Which pre-workouts are third-party tested?
C4 Sport Pre-Workout (Blue Raspberry), C4 Ripped Sport (Fruit Punch), Kaged Pre-Kaged Sport (Mango Lime), Podium Fuse (Blue Razz Slushie), Momentous Pre-Workout (Lemonade), BPN PRE (Blue Raspberry) and Thorne Advanced Pre-Workout (Rainbow Sherbet) are tested for banned substances. NAKED Energy (Unflavored) and Legion Pulse (Fruit Punch) get a quality check only. More NSF Certified for Sport brands are listed above. The well-known ones on no list we read: GHOST Legend, Alani Nu Pre-Workout and C4 Original.
Is C4 pre-workout NSF certified?
Some C4 products are. NSF Certified for Sport lists C4 Sport and C4 Ripped Sport by flavor, including the Blue Raspberry and Fruit Punch tubs we link. We found no listing for C4 Original, so check the exact name on the tub.
Is Transparent Labs pre-workout third-party tested?
Informed Choice lists Transparent Labs Bulk, Lean and Stim-Free Pre-Workout. For the stim-free one, see the best stim-free pre-workout.
What is the difference between NSF Certified for Sport and Informed Sport?
Both test for banned substances. NSF Certified for Sport also checks that the label matches the tub and audits the plant, and it tests each certified lot. Informed Sport tests each batch of a listed product. Either one lowers the risk for a drug-tested athlete.
Does testing mean the pre-workout works?
No. Testing checks what is in the tub and what is not. Whether the formula works depends on the doses. C4 Sport hides its creatine and beta-alanine in a blend, so look at Kaged if you want to see every amount.
Sources
- NSF Certified for Sport: certified products list, searched by product name. Snapshot of October 1, 2026; C4 Sport Blue Raspberry listing 1789547 rechecked on NSF’s site November 3, 2026. nsfsport.com
- Informed Sport and Informed Choice: each program’s certified product search. Informed Sport, Informed Choice. Informed Choice snapshot of October 27, 2026.
- NSF/ANSI 173: NSF dietary supplement list, snapshot of August 25, 2026.
- NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database: NAKED Energy label 325648; Kaged and C4 labels as cited on the best pre-workout page. Brand prices read November 3, 2026; servings from each listing.